This invention pertains to laminated panels, and more particularly to laminated panels which provide highly predictable levels of vibration damping for dissipating vibration and noise generated by supported equipment.
There is a need for construction methods for military and commercial systems and vehicles that provide significant reductions in structural weight, but still are adequate to withstand shock and other structural loadings. Vibration and structureborne noise, for example in ship structures for stealth reasons need to be attenuated. Further, criteria on flammability and toxicity requirements, particularly in the military arena must be satisfied.
Add-on vibration damping treatments, including both free-layer and constrained-layer, are commonly used to dissipate structureborne noise in structures. Although these add-on treatments can attain high damping performance in some instances, there are disadvantages in that they add weight, create obstruction, and are vulnerable to environmental and mechanical damage. In a military application these well known methods may worsen certain hazards to combat survivability.
The problem to be solved is therefore the damping of noise and vibration in equipments, such as ships, trains and submarines wherein these systems are subjected to vibration from machinery inherent to these systems or transports.